Comparison

HEOS vs Lysoniq

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HEOS

Control a wide range of connected audio devices from Denon, Marantz, and Definitive Technology. Stream music from online services or local storage, and enjoy true multi-room audio with easy setup and intuitive control.

Highlights
  • True multi-room audio
  • Quick and easy setup
  • Access online music services
  • Search across multiple music sources
  • Control playback remotely
  • Access locally stored music
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

HEOS is the controller app for the world’s biggest and best range of connected audio gear. It is a smart music streaming technology found in all devices Powered by HEOS from Denon, Marantz, and Definitive Technology. HEOS is for music lovers who want a beautiful and intuitive way to enjoy the latest advances in connected audio. You can find HEOS built into great sounding AV receivers, Hi-Fi equipment, sound bars, speakers, mini systems and specialty multi-room models. Features: True multi-room audio: play different songs in different rooms or the same song in multiple rooms. Quick and easy setup: add all your speakers with step-by-step instructions. Instant access to your favorite music: play from your favorite online music services, like Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, and more. Search your music in one place: use one search function to browse across multiple music sources. See what’s playing any time: play, pause, and skip music from anywhere in the app. Access locally stored music: play music saved to your phone, USB, analog inputs, computers, and NAS drives. Share with your friends and family: support for multiple users and multiple music service accounts.

About

Lysoniq

This app allows you to stream Hi-Res Lossless music from Apple Music across your Apple devices with full remote control. It offers advanced library management, true shuffle, and detailed browsing of the Apple Music catalog. Designed for audiophiles, it supports automatic sample rate switching and high-resolution output on compatible devices.

Highlights
  • Cross-device remote control
  • Hi-Res Lossless streaming
  • Full Apple Music catalog browsing
  • Advanced queue management
  • True shuffle randomization
  • Last.fm scrobbling
  • Automatic sample rate switching
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Lysoniq is a premium music player/streamer with cross-device remote control. Install it on your Apple devices to seamlessly play music through any one of them and control the app with the others. Unlike AirPlay, the playing device streams directly from Apple Music at full resolution — enabling Hi-Res Lossless with zero compression or downsampling on compatible devices. Using an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV in your hifi system just became easier. No more extension cables or compromises. Built to handle huge libraries — load thousands of songs into the player without slowdown. Full queue management with swipe to delete, drag to rearrange, tap to skip ahead, and insert into the queue. True Shuffle that actually randomizes your music. Browse the full Apple Music catalog with top songs, albums, and playlists across 30+ cities and countries, 17 genres, and dedicated Hi-Res Lossless and Dolby Atmos sections. Access Made For You, Recently Played, New Releases, live radio stations, and all of Apple Music's personalized recommendations. Your full synced library with sorting and filtering included. Connect and control devices across your home Wi-Fi network with LYNQ. Extend connectivity across cellular data and different Wi-Fi networks with the LYNQ+ subscription. Built-in Last.fm scrobbling with full history and stats. Four themes including Light, Dark, True Light, and True Dark. Built from the ground up with audiophiles in mind. Reviewing audio gear? Use a subloop to focus in on a particular section of a track, with the option to add a timer between loops to switch equipment. Output up to 24-bit/192kHz on iOS, 24-bit/192kHz on macOS (played via Music.app), and 24-bit/48kHz on Apple TV (24-bit/192kHz available on tvOS 27 with latest generation hardware). Now available in 22 languages including Chinese (Hong Kong, Simplified, and Traditional), Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish. Provide feedback to guide its development further and get the features you want. Enjoy all future updates with a one-time purchase. Requires Apple Music installed on your devices and an active Apple Music subscription. See https://www.lysoniq.app/support for more details. Terms of Use: https://www.lysoniq.app/terms License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Compatibility includes iOS 16.4+, macOS 14.6+, tvOS 17.6+

Screenshots

HEOS4 screens
Lysoniq4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lysoniq at 93% against HEOS's 24%. Lysoniq also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and device support (4 vs 2). HEOS's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, chart position and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

HEOS is free to download; Lysoniq costs $14.99 up front. Lysoniq sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. HEOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lysoniq holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HEOS has 27K ratings behind it against 56, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of HEOS's written reviews are positive against 93% of Lysoniq's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HEOS ships an update every 3 weeks, Lysoniq fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
HEOS versus Lysoniq: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHEOSLysoniq
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.4 (27K ratings)4.8 (56 ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.4% of reviews93.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27K — better56
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
Best chart rank#206#126 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size327 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperD&M HoldingsTim Fagan

Customer experience

HEOS

All ratings27,003 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews891 reviews
Positive24.4%
Neutral15.7%
Negative59.9%

Lysoniq

All ratings56 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive93.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative2.8%

Bugs and requests

HEOS

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Speakers randomly disappear from the network
  • Volume controls are inconsistent and unreliable
  • Sync issues between grouped speakers

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for Apple Music
  • Improve playlist management and queue functionality
  • Provide better customization options for rooms and speakers
  • Implement a more intuitive and user-friendly app design

Lysoniq

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

HEOS

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Lysoniq

Subscriptions1
  • LYNQ+ Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month

Questions

Is HEOS free?
HEOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lysoniq free?
Lysoniq costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HEOS or Lysoniq?
Lysoniq is rated higher. HEOS averages 4.4 out of 5 from 27K ratings, while Lysoniq averages 4.8 from 56 ratings.
Do HEOS or Lysoniq have ads?
Neither HEOS nor Lysoniq shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HEOS or Lysoniq?
HEOS ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lysoniq fortnightly. Most recently, HEOS was updated on September 27, 2026 and Lysoniq on September 27, 2026.
Which is more popular, HEOS or Lysoniq?
HEOS currently peaks at #206 in the App Store charts, and Lysoniq at #126. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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